Friday, May 23, 2008

Moscow, May 22, Interfax - The Union of Orthodox citizens predicts that Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko will have a special place in history as a "grave-digger of Orthodoxy."

"President Yuschenko is engaging Ukraine in the Constantinople Patriarchate and he bears main responsibility for potential consequences of this tragedy. If the Constantinople Patriarchate intrudes into Ukraine, the one who is guilty in it will be "bruited" in centuries as a grave-digger of canonical Orthodoxy in Ukraine and co-author of Ecumenical Orthodox schism," the Union's statement reads as it has been conveyed to Interfax-Religion.

Thus, the famous public organization reacts on Yuschenko's meeting with Constantinople representatives where the president stated that Ukraine approached "Mother Church of the Constantinople Patriarchate," while the Russian Orthodox Church had always decisively opposed it as Ukraine was its canonical territory.

According to the Union of Orthodox citizens "consequences of the Constantinople Patriarchate's intrusion into the others' canonical territory may result in schism of the Orthodox world that can be compared to the tragedy of 1054 schism when the Roman Church broke away with Orthodoxy and the nerve, the thread of this split will go through Ukraine."

The public figures stress that "the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has always been and will be an integral part, the core of the whole Russian Church" and "the unity and integrity of the Russian Orthodox Church in its canonical territory is an axiom not subjected to discussions."